International maritime welfare charity, Sailors’ Society, has launched an online version of its widely respected Wellness at Sea coaching program.
The e-learning platform opens up the globally renowned course, which until now was only available in a classroom setting, to thousands more seafarers for just $3 per user.
Sandra Welch, deputy CEO of Sailors’ Society, said, “Seafarers are the lifeblood of world trade and our latest Wellness at Sea conference highlighted yet again how important it is that the human element be valued, supported and invested in if it is to be an effective force within the industry.
“Long contracts and busy schedules are not always conducive to classroom-based training, so we’re very excited to be able to offer an online version of the course. We hope that Wellness at Sea e-learning will prove a useful tool, giving seafarers and companies alike greater flexibility and access to this highly valuable skillset.”
Wellness at Sea seeks to enable seafarers to improve their on board health and well-being by exploring five different aspects of wellness and the impact that they can have on the safe running of a ship.
The launch comes in time for Day of the Seafarer 2018 (June 25), which is themed on ‘seafarers’ well-being’ and seeks to highlight good practice and encourage the development of strategies to tackle issues affecting seafarers' mental health.
Johan Smith, Sailors’ Society’s Wellness at Sea program manager, said, “More than 4,000 have benefited from the Wellness at Sea coaching program, but by providing the course online, we are opening this fantastic training up to thousands more.
“We are constantly seeking to improve the platform and are very aware of the difficulties seafarers can face with access to Wi-Fi, so we are also looking at options for an offline version.”
More than 1,000 seafarers from companies including SeaTeam, Seaspan, Magsaysay, FAME, Massa and Goodwood Shipping participated in the extensive testing stage of the site, ensuring its quality and accessibility.
The course takes between 14 and 20 hours to complete and support is available to users throughout their learning experience. Users who complete their first module by October 26, 2018 will be entered into a prize draw for Amazon vouchers, with a $100 voucher for the winner and $25 vouchers for four runners-up.
Some content has been adapted to suit online delivery, but the framework, philosophy and outcomes are the same as the classroom based coaching and participants receive a course certificate on completion.
